Construction of New High Speed

¶ … construction of new high speed railway between London and Birmingham in the United Kingdom was initiated in attempts to transform the rail network in Great Britain. This project was adopted following an examination of the demand for long distance travel that predicted an increase in the use of rail travel in the future. In addition to economic, social, and environmental benefits that the project will bring, the construction of HS2 is an effective way of tackling rail crowding issues and meeting the increased demand for rail travel.

Some of the main issues behind the construction of the new high speed railway include potential economic incentives that it will bring to the country. As presented in the national business case, this project will boost the country's economic growth because of its impact on transport network users. It will not only benefit individual rail network users but transform the entire rail travel network. However, this project has also elicited various concerns regarding the evident mistakes in the business case and unfair treatment of all regions in the rail network.

The main findings of the review include the cost-ineffectiveness of the project, exaggerated economic benefits, overstated productivity claims, and lack of evidence on regeneration. Due to these major issues, the construction of the project is not only a major failure but also contains numerous negative economic impacts. Therefore, future research should focus on finding a suitable and cost-effective alternative high speed railway as proposed in the various analyses.

Introduction:

The construction of the new high speed railway known as HS2 between London and Birmingham in the United Kingdom has contributed to a huge national debate regarding railways in the UK. Some of the major concerns associated with this project include its effectiveness in addressing problems within railways, its cost-effectiveness, whether it complies with UK's overall rail strategy, and the possibility of better alternatives. This paper investigates some of the major issues associated with the construction of this new high speed railway and contributes to the huge national debate.

Background:

According to the findings of a research on the demand for long distance travel, the total distance traveled by people has increased significantly because they are making longer distance trips ("Demand for Long Distance Travel," 2011). This demand for travel is determined through the number of trips with a trip being a single movement by an individual from one place to another. While the length of the average trip in Great Britain has increased continually, the number of trips made by average people through various modes has remained relatively constant. This is largely attributed to the decline in the growth in car travel as compared to rail travel that has registered an increase in passenger distance traveled.

As part of its existing rail strategy, the Government efforts to develop a new rail line included the analysis of the potential economic, social, and environmental benefits that new rail lines could bring. According to a report by the Department for Transport, these benefits of a new rail line could be provided through the reduction of expected end-to-end journey times and improving connections to vital international gateways ("Britain's Transport Infrastructure," 2009). Furthermore, these benefits can be realized through supporting the predicted growth in housing and population as well as the ability of new rail lines to provide extra capacity and lessen crowding by releasing capacity on current lines. The government has undertaken various measures over time to develop new rail lines as part of its current rail strategy.

The differences in the mode of travel between car and rail travel are a reflection of the developments of markets over time. The slowdown in car travel has been brought by the increases in fuel prices and the rising congestion on the road network. On the contrary, the rail network in the United Kingdom has not experienced similar obstacles associated with congestion and costs. With this trend, the market for long distance travel is specifically relevant for the construction of HS2. While there are no strategies to introduce road pricing for vehicles, the construction of an improved rail infrastructure is an effective way of addressing rail crowding issues.

Literature Review:

The following seven literature reviews attempt to highlight and demonstrate the various aspects associated with the construction of high speed railway and the significant issues that need to be addressed. Through an analysis of the various topics regarding the issue, the literature review examines the various arguments that have been raised regarding the construction of HS2. The reviews of the various aspects of the project are divided into various topics as follows:

Proposals for Constructing the New High Speed Railway:

The findings of the study on the demand for long distance travel resulted in the proposals for constructing the HS2, which could transform the journey experience and result in huge economic benefits for Great Britain. Based on the reviews of high speed railway proposals, the initial HS2 proposals are the construction of a £25 billion, 100-mile-long rail line between London and Birmingham that can accommodate 28 trains per hour ("A Review of High Speed Rail," 2010). Some of the main factors that were considered in the development of the proposals were predictions on passenger demands, predicted revenues, economic incentives, emissions of carbon dioxide, and costs of similar European strategies. The main assumption behind these proposals was that the construction of High Speed Rail was beneficial to the country's economy and environment.

Analysis of the HS2 Project:

Through an analysis of the HS2 overall national financial case, HS2 Ltd. hid the empty reality of the business case behind obscure members and false certainties. A review of the proposals shows that the company's proposal is driven by consultants, lobbyists, and contractors in addition to being arbitrary. Through the use of the Benefit Cost Ratio methodology, an assessment prepared for Wendover Technology Limited, revealed that the proposed model is delicately sensitive to few differences in growth assumptions (Savin, 2010). According to the findings of this research, a new efficient rail scheme that only covers two regions is disproportionately beneficial and is hardly equitable. The study proposes that all regions should be treated fairly in the development of a new high speed rail network.

There are other studies that have been conducted in attempts to explore and capture the benefits of the construction of a new high speed railway between London and Birmingham. First, a study conducted in April 2011 focused on assessing the valuing the transport benefits and dis-benefits emanating from the HS2 proposal as well as explaining the potential impact of the project on individuals and other parts in the country ("Valuing the Benefits of HS2," 2011). The assessment was based on the three kinds of economic impacts i.e. advantages and disadvantages to transport network users, economic and social impacts from changes in land use, and wider economic impacts.

Based on a conservative approach, the analysis concludes that the construction of HS2 will create several individual benefits like enhanced reliability, lessened crowding, and journey time savings. However, these benefits will only be achieved through huge government expenditure which can be determined through calculating the Benefit Cost Ratio. While the study identified various benefits, it couldn't quantify wider economic impacts of the project.

Secondly, the other analysis conducted in February 2011 was centered on capturing the benefits of HS2 on current lines ("Capturing the Benefits of HS2," 2011). The study was based on Greengauge 21's approach to examine the future use of current railway lines that would be released by the implementation of the high speed railway. The report states that the released capacity on existing lines should be used for the improvement of local, commuter, and regional services for passengers. Consequently, this study states that one of the major benefits of HS2 is the scope to re-use the capacity released on current lines.

Major Issues Associated with the Construction of HS2:

Regardless of the expected benefits from the construction of the high speed railway, there are major issues associated with the project that could hinder its effective implementation. First, the business case for this project is very weak and in centered on several false premises ("A Better Railway," 2011). According to various analyses, this business case overstates productivity claims by failing to acknowledge that time spent on trains can be productive for the economy. Since, this business case doesn't use a realistic comparator or involve the use of sensitivity analysis, it contains exaggerated benefits. Secondly, there is lack of evidence that the construction of the new railway would result in regeneration or important job creation. Conclusion: